Convertible air hose coupling



June 9, 1953 H T, SEALE 2,641,272

CONVERTIBLE AIR HOSE' COUPLING Filed Sept. 146, 1950 i2 15 File' .2

i5 7 /l 14 B5 INVENTOR. HOM/5R TSEALE BY Muga ATTDRNE YS Patented June 9, y1953 U Nirso vs 'RATE-fs fear-ENT oer-fics iCNVERLTIBLE AIR fTH'OSE i CUPLING Homer `T. Seale, /Los Angeles, -.Cali'f.,:assig11or.to Homer'I.sealegflnc., l)Los t`Angeles,Calif.,-"a corporationioflCalifornia Applicationiseptember 16,1950,@crialNulf-ISSASG' 1 Claim. l

This inventionrelates ,to :an i air ihose i coupling fand xWhile not necessarily :confined rtheretowis primarily intended for coupling air hose between ,a truck `and trailer.

.For .coupling tliexair lhose between the truck vand trailer, oriother vehicle,there isl atpresent v .in.cominon use :a -typeof coupling known :a ffgladehand, which :coupling i is .compression type coupling, Allarge Aandhullry and requires l that .considerableforcebe appliedito the same-in order to force together the itwo 'partsr of `the coupling.

.There fis -.atv present a; much :simplier type 50i-'Cou- .,pling -which-may ^be describedas a push-on vsleeve :or tubular fcoupling, which .has many' ao.- vantages over l,the :glad-hand type f of :coupling The sleeve or tubular couplinggis `lighter 1 in weight, more economical in construction land re- ,quresdessworksfor couplingiair hose. ln'order,

that `the 4air hose `of a tractor fmay be lcoupled `to `the .air hose of .thetrailerit isnec'essary, fof

course, that the tractor and :trailer rhave 'cooperating ,parts .of the saine coupling. :Since there `is .nowlin existence'manythousands of `fve- Ahicles Awith the glad-.hand type vof coupling thereon, itis at present impracticalffor-an:operator to .adopt 4the -neweriimproved ,type'offxcoupling becausethey arenot attachable to ".tliesold glad-hand coupling nowV :installed :on :so imany vehicles; This problem :exists V.in zany :company which has arconsiderable number` of vehicles: and is aggravated by the fact that in transportation thevehicles oifonefcompany frequently become interchanged with the vehicles of another company.` K

It is theggeneral-ioiojectfofathe present invention-l" to provide an air hose couplerwhich is constructed and arranged so thatsuc'h .coupler may. make V`a coupling with either `the lold gladhandtype fof 4coupling part 4or 'one of the newer Limproved push-'on ortubular typecoupling.

"Infaccordance with thepresent?inventionltliere is l`provided a coupler yhaving `'two separate 4'airinlets connecting to the single outlet leading to the vehicle mounting the coupling. One of these inlets is arranged for cooperation with the old type of compression or glad-hand coupler, While the other inlet is constructed and arranged for cooperation with the new push-on sleeve or tubular coupling.

The coupler of the present invention also includes an automatically actuating two-Way check valve so constructed and arranged as to automatically close off the inlet passage not in use and open the inlet passage in use.

An important feature of the coupler of the (CIL ,sectiongof .the 4coupler :and -a cooperating '-gla'd- 2` present inventionl-is in thelidesign-of.ftheltwo -vvay-v check `valve which Vis constructed and ar- :vrangedrtohe freemfithe-danger of assuming fthe ,positionswhich Aobstructs the `outletA passageeof ,.thecoupler. Accordinglyf byithe use oiethecoufplery Yof the lpresent .invention 4.a Ivehicle :lso

equipped. may becoupled to any .other vehicle ywhethensuchother vehicle isequipped with one ,of .the older glad-hand type ,of coupling or,` fone .of the newelxpush-on typesxof coupling.

Through the userof Athe couplerroflthepresent .invention .the operator `ofifafleet of 4'vehiclesnay placethewcouplerfof the present invention-lon all ofthe newer vehicles .which are to.=.receive air and then Icommence the lpractice roi -vequipping the .vehicles which deliver the :air emerely With asimpleipush-on coupler. JArperiodvof time Iwill come inthe .operation of the eet where'the operatorhas. no more vehicles,. sucheastractors, which are/equipped,withtheold type glad-hand `coupler, whereupon ythe/.future receiving vehicles may 'then l be provided with the i simple push-on .typefcouplers Thusfthe Acoupling of thepresent ,invention provides a i means i by 1vwhich the :opratorvof aeetof vehicles.mayfwithfminimum.dis-

-advaritage andscost, convert hisfeet-fromlthc Sold type rridad-hand!:coupler `to the V`n'eW-t'y'ae `pusheon coupler.

Various .-further objects: and:adfvantagesnoffthis coupler of the present invention ,willrbefapp'ar- .ent/from .a rdescription .ofl .vaipreferredzform or examplenfa coupler-which embodies Ithe invention. If-,have therefore, hereafterfdescribemin connection .with -the `accompanying drawings, 5.a preferredexample ofi-'theV coupler.

IRferring-toV the :drawings:

y "Figure 11 lisanielevationfmainlyin-verticalsee tion;

Figure Zisan: end view Figure Svisfan elevation partially-in -iverti'cal end of which provides the threaded socket for attachment to an air hose which is to be permanently connected to the coupler in use and lead to the brake and operating apparatus of the vehicle mounting the coupler. The body to the left of the chamber 3 is shaped as a glad-hand coupler 6, which comprises, as illustrated, the hook-shaped extension 1, which is provided with a threaded bore 8 which receives the housing 9 of a spring pressed dog I0, the inner end of the bore 8 being turned in as indicated at II to provide means for retaining the dog IIJ. The coupler also provides the extension I2 having the indent I3 for resiliently locking with a dog of a complementary coupling member. This gladhand section also includes the usual sleeve I4 of resilient material, such as rubber, which is provided with the bead I5 set in a complementary 4 tion made to the socket 3| of the coupler 39. In such case it will be observed that the dog IIIa of the coupler 30 is engaged with the detent I3, whereas the dog In of the coupler 2 engages a similar detent in the coupler 30, and the coupler 3D is provided with a sleeve 32 identical to the sleeve I4, which sleeves are pressed with considerable force axially together to form a iluid type coupling. The coupler of the present invention may be provided with a stop rod 33 extending between the body 2 and the hook-shaped extension 1, which operates to assist in connecting the two coupling parts. When such a coupling is made the pressure of air entering the bore I6 quickly forces the two-way check valve into the position shown in Figure 5 where it closes off the bore I2 recess in the body for holding the sleeve in position. A bore I6 connects the chamber 3 of the body with the bore I1 of the sleeve.

' is indicated the valve member 24, which includes the rod 25 having the two slotted ends 26. The rod is provided with an annular groove 21a in which there is mounted the two rubber or resilient packing cups 29a, one extension having a running t with bore I6 and the other with the bore 22. The valve member 25 is thus slidable axially into one position illustrated in Figure 4, where the passage to the glad-hand type of coupler is cut oir, whereas the bore leading to the push-on coupler I9 is in communication with the bore 4. The two-way check valve is also movable to a second position illustrated in Figure 5 where the valve member is in position to cut oil the bore and allow communication between the bore4 and the bore I6 leading to the glad-hand type of coupler. f

In use of the coupler of the present invention when, as illustrated, the coupler of the present invention is mounted on the trailer and the bore 4 l the new push-on type of coupler or the old gladhand type of coupling element. Figure 3 illustrates, for example, how connection is made to a by which air may be passed to the coupler 2 of the present invention through a hose connectypical glad-hand type of coupling member 30 60 and the air entering passes to the hose connected with the socket 5. If the truck is provided with the new axial push-on type of coupling this coupling is merely pushed on the coupling member I1, whereupon the air pressure forces the twoway check valve 25 to the position indicated in Figure 4.

It will thus be seen that by means of the present invention I have provided a coupler which permits either of the two usual conventional types of air hose coupling members to be used in connection therewith, and moreover because of the construction and mode of operation of the twoway check valve, the closing of the coupling section not in use is made automatic.

While the particular device herein described is well adapted to carry out the objects of the present invention various modications may be made and this invention is of the scope set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

An air hose coupler comprising a body having a central recess connected with two axially aligned bores, a valve member having a central ilange and two axially aligned slotted extensions, one mounted in each bore movable to alternately close said bores, an outlet bore from said recess, a coupling member comprising a resilient sleeve connected with one of said bores, an extension having a detent at one side of said sleeve, and a hook-shaped member having a spring pressed dog extending to the other side 0f said sleeve,the other bore having a coupling member in the form of a 'hollow pin having an annular recess.

HOMEPu T. sEALE.

References Cited in the Ille 0I this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

